What is Volume Eating?
Want to eat more food for fewer calories?
Look no further. You have found the holy grail of fat loss information.
Not really, but it’s still pretty frikkin’ cool.
If this sounds too good to be true, keep reading bucko, because you are going to get your world flipped upside down today.
What Is Volume Eating?
In a nutshell, it’s all about creating a calorie deficit by using the most voluminous foods possible.
In other words, let’s look at these two foods:
Here we have 300 calories worth of popcorn (yes, both bowls), and 300 calories worth of pretzels.
Which one do you think is going to keep you more full?
Volume eating is all about how much volume food is going to take up in your stomach.
In this example here, the popcorn is going to keep you full much longer, not only because it has more volume, but also about 5x as much fiber, which will also help you stay full.
In essence, volume eating is the secret to staying full while in a calorie deficit.
Here is a list of high-volume replacements…
What Is Volume Eating?
EAT THIS, AND SOMETIMES THAT
If ice cream is your favorite food in the world, and then you go on a “diet” trying to be perfect, you might find yourself cutting ice cream out of your day.
This sucks.
Don’t do this.
You shouldn’t have to cut out your favorite foods, but you should slightly MODIFY them.
Lemme explain.
Now, there are no good or bad foods, but the key to not feeling deprived while in a calorie deficit is to get creative.
Instead of cutting ice cream out of your life, including some high volume, high protein versions of ice cream:
Keep in mind this is just one example of a swap you could make.
What Is Volume Eating?
FAT SPRAYS OH MY…??!!
WARNING: I AM ABOUT TO SAVE YOU 1,000’s of unnecessary calories over the course of your entire life.
When many of my online coaching clients first come to me, they are still glugging 100’s of calories of “healthy fats” into their cooking pans EVERY DAY!
This is so pointless.
Sure, cooking with oil makes your food taste pretty damn good, but it’s not going to make or break your meal.
In comes the cooking spray.
Before you try to tell me “They add silicone dioxide in those!!!” Just relax Karen. They just use that to keep the oil from foaming.
You can find versions like avocado oil, olive oil, or whatever dietary cooking fat your heart yearns for.
The best part–it’s almost ZERO calories.
Here’s the caveat:
That’s only if you spray for 1/4 of a second. However, if you use it sparingly, you will find that it adds such minimal calories it’s not worth worrying about.
There you go. I’ve already saved you about 300-600 calories per day, and we are only on my second tip.
What Is Volume Eating?
CAULIFLOWER RICE
Are you a rice lover?
I think it’s safe to say you are, and for good reason…rice is amazing.
Basmati is the best BTW…
A cooked cup of rice is about 210 calories.
That is not a lot of volume for the number of calories you are getting.
A simple and easy way to bulk that amount up to and make it more voluminous is cauliflower rice.
It’s super easy to add to your chicken teriyaki rice bowls and will make your small bowl of chicken teriyaki into a large one.
Add in some extra veggies like onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, bok choy, zucchini, carrots, and you’ve got a high volume, low-calorie meal that will keep you extremely full.
If you are looking for a good deal on cauliflower rice, Costco usually has a great deal where you get 4 bags of a pound of cauliflower rice for around $10…you can usually find it in the frozen section.
What Is Volume Eating?
SPECIAL NOODLES
Adding different types of noodles to bulk up your pasta/stir fry’s is a great way to add tons of volume to your favorite dishes.
Here are a few types that I and my clients like adding to help us keep calories in check:
Zoodles
Zucchini noodles are almost nothing when it comes to calories, and absorb sauce very well. You can add them to almost any pasta, stir fry, or Asian dish to add volume while making it lower in calories.
Shiritaki Noodles
These noodles are either made with Konjac flour, which is pretty much pure fiber. Make sure you rinse them off well as they can have a strange smell at first, but trust me this whole bag is only 5 CALORIES!! Serious game changer when it comes to adding bulk and volume to your dishes.
HEARTS OF PALM NOODLES
These hearts of palm noodles are absolutely delicious, I have only been able to find them online, but this whole bag (7 oz.) is only 60 calories! Talk about adding tons of volume and extra fiber to your meals! Add it into a bowl of pasta with some extra low calories marinara to make a bangin’ pasta dish.
What Is Volume Eating?
LOW CALORIE SAUCES!
Here is a quick list of my favorite sauces for volume eating. Having these sauces in your home will make staying in your calorie deficit easy, tasty, and convenient. They will also keep you from getting bored of eating flavorless, bland meals!
These are just some of the favorites that I and my clients use:
Sugar Free Teriyaki
Only 5 calories per TBSP! The full sugar teriyaki can be up to 50 calories per Tablespoon! That’s literally 10x the calories! It adds up fast…
BBQ SAUCE
I think you are getting the point, G. Hughes is my favorite when it comes to many different sauces, and you really can’t go wrong with almost anything this company makes. Just make sure it is low-calorie. Always read the nutrition labels.
Primal Kitchen also makes some amazing sugar-free sauces that are low in calories with high-quality ingredients. In my opinion, not as tasty as G. Hughes, but definitely has higher quality ingredients.
KETCHUP, SALSA, HOT SAUCE, MUSTARD
Sugar-free ketchup, salsas, hot sauces, and mustards are usually super minimal calories for the amount of flavor they add to your dishes. Check out these ones:
What Is Volume Eating?
SALAD DRESSINGS
A lot of times, we think of salads as being “healthy” and great for weight loss.
When we actually look at the calories of your favorite salads, you may be shocked. They are some of the highest-calorie menu items at your favorite restaurants!
This is not because of the lettuce/veggies, it’s because of the dressing and other toppings that may be added in.
These salad dressings are a way to make salads at home and keep their low calories and high in volume:
Anything from Bolthouse is going to be a great option! Most of their dressings are 45 calories for 2 Tablespoons, and because they are made with greek yogurt, they are low in calories!
PS: the bleu cheese dressing is amazing! You’re welcome.
Skinny girl is also another brand that makes fat-free and sugar-free dressings that are absolutely incredible.
My man G. Hughes even makes a sugar-free Italian dressing that is only 60 calories for 2 Tbsp!
There are absolutely 100’s of low-calorie dressings/sauces/marinades on the market, these are just a few that I and my online coaching clients like to use.
The main objective is to look for ones that are lower in calories that you can add to make your meals less boring and more flavorful!
What Is Volume Eating?
The Ultimate Volume Foods Shopping List
Here I am going to give you some of my favorite high-volume foods so you can have a list on hand whenever you are doing your grocery shopping.
CARBS
- Strawberries- 49 calories per cup
- Blueberries- 85 calories per cup
- Watermelon- 46 calories per cup
- Orville Redenbacher’s Smart Pop Popcorn- 15 calories per cup (popped)
- Peach- 39 calories per cup
- Plums- 75 calories per cup
- Grapefruit- 42 calories per cup
- Oranges- 47 calories per cup
- Raspberries- 53 calories per cup
- Shirataki Noodles- 10-20 calories per cup
- Regular White Bread- 45 to 65 calories per slice
- Joseph’s Lavash- 120 calories per whole large lavash
- Joseph’s Lavash Pita- 60 calories
- Low Carb Tortillas- 60-80 calories
- Cauliflower rice- 30 calories per cup
- Zoodles- 15 calories per cup
- Boiled Potato- 134 calories per cup
- Oat Bran- 80 calories per cup (cooked)
- Non-starchy vegetables (mushrooms, peppers, leafy greens, cabbage, onions, zucchini, radishes, tomatoes, cucumber, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, asparagus) : Minimal calories but super high in volume!
PROTEIN
- Egg Whites- 125 calories per cup
- Grilled Chicken Breast (cooked)- 120 calories per 3 oz.
- 99% Fat Free Ground Turkey (cooked)- 90 calories per 3 oz.
- 96% Ground Beef (cooked)- 139 calories per 3 oz.
- Nonfat Greek Yogurt- 120 calories per cup
- Nonfat Cottage Cheese- 160 calories per cup
- Whey/Plant Protein Powder- 120-140 calories per scoop
- Shrimp (cooked)- 90 calories per 3 oz.
- Tofu Extra Firm- 80 calories per 3 oz.
- Seitan- 110 calories per 3 oz.
- Sirloin Steak- 140 calories per 3 oz.
PS: If you are looking for some extra high-volume recipes, check out my youtube channel!
What Is Volume Eating?
SUMMARY
Hopefully, now I’ve answered the question, “What is Volume Eating?” and how you can apply it to your fat loss journey.
Eating 100% whole foods may sound like the best course of action when trying to keep calories in check, but this will ultimately lead to you feeling deprived and like you are missing out on the fun.
This is why volume eating can actually help.
Let’s say you eat a big egg white omelet with tons of veggies for breakfast and a big BBQ chicken ranch salad for lunch…
This will be only around 800 calories and around 80-100 grams of protein.
You will still have plenty of room to fit in some dinner with the family, a burger and fries at your favorite restaurant, or even some ice cream with the kiddos.
Your diet shouldn’t feel like a diet.
You shouldn’t feel deprived.
The foods you are eating should help you with your training, your energy levels for work, and keep cravings at bay.
If this is not the case, you may need some extra assistance.
Interested in working with me?
I’m offering a free consult call for those who want to change their life with better nutrition and exercise habits. I will do all of the thinking, you just have to follow the plan.
Just fill out the application at the bottom of this page and I will get in touch with you. 👇🏼